"As far as the eye can see, there are cavalry troops moving along the valley," Lin said, his voice strained with tension. "Guan Yu and I have been cutting them down like grass, but the only reason we haven't been overwhelmed is because the valley is narrow and the cavalry are avoiding the dry weeds, which they fear will set them on fire. We have been holding up well, and I have been strategically killing the dead bodies so they pile up in certain places and block more enemies from coming. We are almost at our limit, until a retreat command was issued by the enemy commander using a flag. When their army turned around, I immediately ordered an attack, and we chased the enemy until near the entrance of the valley."

As night fell, Lin and everyone gathered around a campfire. They couldn't believe that an army consisting of only 46 people could defend against more than 1,000 people. They exchanged stories and rested up for the night. When they were all asleep, Guan Yu and Liu Bei gathered at a place near the camp, as Lin had asked. "At first, I was hoping to hold out for five days, but looking at the situation, one more day was the limit," Lin said grimly.

"But why? Didn't it all work according to your plan?" asked Guan Yu.

"They were running too fast. We only managed to kill around 70 of their soldiers before they retreated. It's too little to check for an ambush," said Lin.

"They probably stopped because they thought they already had enough reason to assume there is an ambush at this place," Liu Bei replied.

"Still, them not pushing forward is not their style," Lin said softly.

"You're probably just overthinking it. Let's just hope for the best. I trust you. If we need to retreat tomorrow, we can do it at night. At least we have already bought two days' worth of time," Liu Bei replied.

The three of them said their good nights and went to their respective tents. When Lin was just about to enter his tent, he realized something. "They are saving their manpower. They are going to do a full charge tomorrow, ignoring the ambush and relying on their sheer number. How can I forget that the Yellow Turbans don't care about how many people will die and only care about causing chaos?" Lin immediately called for the two brothers and summoned the entire army.

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"Everyone should return now. Tomorrow, they're going to do a full attack using infantry as their bait. They don't care how many will die as long as their main army is safe, and we can't hold off more than 3,000 people with just 46," Lin said with a panicked voice. "As long as we return right now, we will reach the city before they do. We can defend the city until reinforcements arrive."

Everyone was silent. They didn't know what to say until one of the soldiers asked Lin, "What are the chances we can hold the city until reinforcements arrive?"

"Three days at the most. Less than one day if things go bad," Lin answered.

"So even if we go back now, there is no guarantee that everyone in the city will be safe?" the soldier asked.

"Yes," said Lin.

"Then I don't want to go back. If we can hold them for one more day here, the city can have one more peaceful day," the soldier replied.

"Is everyone here thinking like that, too?" asked Lin.

"Yes," every soldier shouted at the same time.

"No," Lin firmly replied. "It's not negotiable. You all need to go back now. As for your one day, I'll buy it for you." Despite protests from the soldiers, Lin walked back to his tent. Guan Yu and Liu Bei followed him, confused about the plan. "I've already told you the plan. You all go back, and I'll hold the enemy myself for one more day," said Lin. Guan Yu offered to join Lin in holding off the enemy, but Lin immediately rejected the offer. Guan Yu became angry, feeling that Lin did not respect their willingness to sacrifice their lives to defend against the enemy. He stormed out of the tent, and Liu Bei followed him. Lin called Liu Bei back into the tent to speak with him privately.

As dawn broke, everyone packed their bags and prepared to leave. Some soldiers were hesitant to leave, but Lin threatened to cut off their manhood if they didn't comply. Liu Bei said his goodbyes to Lin and thanked him for everything. As they parted ways, Lin asked Liu Bei to do what he had requested the previous day and prayed that his plan would go smoothly. "Please be safe, and don't push yourself," Liu Bei replied as he rode off on his horse with the other soldiers.